Singapore. Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto met with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in Singapore on Wednesday to pursue stronger bilateral ties in trade and investment.

Both officials were in the city-state to attend the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) forum.

During the meeting, Airlangga expressed gratitude for the US government’s support for Indonesia’s bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Indonesia has established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the United States.

Airlangga also presented investment opportunities in the government’s data centers.

"Indonesia has a special economic zone exclusively for data centers in Batam, utilizing a renewable energy grid. We hope the United States will support the ongoing development of the data center and fiber optic network in Indonesia,” Airlangga said.

Raimondo welcomed the opportunity and mentioned that many companies are eager to get involved in Indonesia’s data center development. She emphasized the importance of receiving full support from the Indonesian government in terms of ease of doing business, according to a press statement from Airlangga’s office.

She also noted that her entourage included 23 American investors who will be attending the Clean Economy Investor Forum as part of the IPEF.

Those investors have expressed interest in opening businesses in IPEF partners, particularly Indonesia, the statement said.

Airlangga highlighted investment opportunities in the renewable energy sector, including carbon capture and storage facilities, solar panels, and geothermal energy.

“Indonesia is very open to US energy companies operating in our country, and we will propose 19 infrastructure projects focusing on the energy sector. We look forward to investments from the United States,” Airlangga said.

Indonesia has great potential to receive International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) funds and expects the US government to encourage American semiconductor producers to construct production plants in Indonesia, he told Raimondo.

Indonesia seeks to accelerate the transition to clean energy and collaborate with the United States to conclude a critical minerals agreement.

“We hope our collaboration will propel growth in Indonesia’s high-tech industries, create new job opportunities, and bolster Indonesia’s competitiveness on the global stage,” Airlangga said.

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